Electric steam irons



E. P. SCHREYER ELECTRIC STEAM IRONS July 25, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 18, 1958 me wm om. O O

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ELECTRIC STEAM IEoNs 4 sheets-sheet' 2 Filed Aug. 18, 1958 FIGA@ @W1/MW wm/Bwwyw AT TORNEYS July 25, 1961 Filed Aug. 18, 1958 E. P. scHRr-:YER

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ELECTRIC STEAM IRONS Filed Aug. 18, 195s 4 sheets-sheet 4 AL'LORNEYS nited States Patent O 2,993,286 ELECTRIC STEAM IRONS Edward Peter Schreyer, P20. Box T, Ridgefield, Conn. Filed Aug. 18, 1958, Ser. No. 755,799 Claims priority, application Great Britain Oct. 14, 1957 i Claims. (ci. .as- 77) This invention relates to electric steam irons in which steam is generated by the heating element of the iron and is caused to pass through apertures in the sole plate so as to damp articles which are being ironed.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a neat and simple closure for the filling orifice of the boiler of such an iron, which closu-re also serves as a safety valve. Another object is to provide an iron in which provision is made for ensuring that wate-r overflowing during filling is unable to come in contact with the parts carrying electric current, and a further object is to minimize the transference of heat from the body to the handle of the iron,

According to one aspect of the invention, in an electric steam iron of the kind comprising a sole plate, a boiler xed to the sole plate, a handle fixed to the boiler, an electric heating element arranged to apply heat to both the sole plate and the boiler, a steam dome, and means for lling the boiler through the steam dome, the steam dome extends upwardly into a cavity in the handle and is formed with a forwardly-facing opening, a hinged member mounted on the said handle carrying a spring-loaded closure member for said opening.

According to another aspect of the invention, in an electric steam iron of the kind comprising a sole plate, a boiler fixed to the sole plate, a handle fixed to the boiler, an electric heating element arranged to apply heat to both the sole plate and the boiler, a steam dome, and means for filling the boiler through the steam dome, the steam dome extends upwardly into a cavity in the handle and is formed with a forwardly facing lling opening closed by a springloaded closure member and the boiler comprises a body shell and a floor plate deformed to produce upper and lower external cavities having flat end Walls which engage each other, adjustable thermostatic control means housed in the lower cavity, said cavity end walls being apertured for the passage of setting means for said thermostatic control means, and electrical conductors, and sealing means being provided around the said apertures to prevent the passage of water from the upper cavity to the lower cavity.

The invention is hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE l is a longitudinal sectional View of an electric steam iron according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the iron shown in FIG- URE l;

FIGURE 3 is a View similar to FIGURE 2 but with the cover member which carries the closure for the filling orifice raised;

yFIGURE 4 is a detail view of the cover member as viewed from its inner side, on a larger scale;

'FIGURE 5 is a plan View of the sole plate with the ther-mostatic control device secured thereto;

FIGURE 6 is a transverse section of the iron on the line 6-6 of FIGURE l, showing the thermostatic control device;

IFIGURE 7 is a top plan view of the iron with the handle removed;

FIGURE 8 is a detail cross section on the line yiti-8 of FIGURE l, to the same scale as FIGURE 4;

` FIGURE 9 is a section on the line 9 9 of FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE l0 is a sectional view, similar to a part of FIGURE l, showing a modification.

Referring to FIGURES l to 7 of the drawings, the iron comprises a boiler 10 to the under surface of which is secured a sole plate 11 in which is embedded an electrical resistance heating element 12, and to the top of which is secured a handle 13 of material, such as a thermosetting synthetic resin, which is both a poor conductor of heat and a non-conductor of electricity.

'I'he boiler 10 is formed in two parts, namely a body shell 14 including the top and sides and a floor plate '15, the body shell 14 having an out-turned rim 16 at its lower edge and the edge of the oor plate .15 being folded up and over the said rim as shown at 17. A suitable sealing compound is applied to the rim 16 before the joint is made, to ensure water-tightness. Adjacent its rear end, the oor plate 15 is deformed by pressing to produce a deep upwardly-extending cavity 18 of rectangular crosssection and having a ilat upper end wall 19. A similar, but downwardly-extending cavity 21 is formed in the body shell 14, the flat end wall 22 of the latter cavity resting against the wall 19 of the cavity 18 when .the boiler is assembled. A sealing compound is applied to the con- -tacting walls of the two cavities and they are secured together either by eyelets 23 tting in mating holes therein, as shown, or by deforming the metal of one wall around holes therein to grip the edges of corresponding holes in the other wall. The edge of the floor-plate 15 is deformed downwardly relative to the general plane of the said plate, as shown at 20.

Near the forward end of the boiler 10 there is an aperture provided in the top surface of the body shell 14 from which extends upwardly a steam dome 24 of rectangular cross section in plan, the said steam dome 24 having a relatively large circular aperture 25 in its front wall, and

having a lug 26 formed with a screw-threaded hole 27, Y

secured to its upper end. A steam tube 28 extending upwardly into the dome 24 passes downwardly through the oor plate 15 which, at the point where the steam tube 28 passes through it, is deformed upwardly -to provide a cavity 29 in its underside. A baille 31 is mounted in the boiler so as to extend rearwardly from the nose to a point behind the steam dome, the baffle 31 having, -at its rear end, an upwardly inclined portion 32 (FIGURES l and 7) which, as shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 7,'is narrower than the boiler, so that gaps on both sides thereof connect the space above the baiie to the remainder of the boiler.

The sole plate 11, which may be an aluminumdie-- casting, has a shoulder 33 around its edge to receive the edge portion 20 of the boiler floor plate'15, and the' electric resistance heating element 12 embedded therein is arranged as shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 5. An

upward projection 34 on the upper face of the sole plate fits into the cavity 29 in the boiler floor plate, a cavity 35 below the projection 34 providing a steam chamber,Vv and two shallow recesses 36 and'37 are provided in the' upper face of the sole plate to the rear of the projection 34. The ends of the heating element 12 are brought 91 is mounted over the recess 37.

The sole plate 11 is secured to the boiler 10 at two points. The steam tube 28 passes downwardly through a hole 42 in the projection 34, its lower end being eX- ternally screw-threaded to receive an internally screww.` threaded sleeve 43 which serves as a nut to secure they,

sole plate to the boiler, and a screw 44, passing downwardly through a hole in the mating end walls of the cavities 18, 21 engages in the tapped hole 41 in the boss 38. The screw 44 also secures in position in thef cavity 21 a cranked strip 45.

l 'i a The steam chamber 35 is closed by a plate 46 secured in position by a screw 47 entering the lower end of the sleeve 43, the said sleeve being formed with radial holes 48V to allow'steam to pass intothe chamber 35. The plate 46 is formed with a series of holes around its edge, one of which is shown at 49 in FIGURE 1, for the escape of steam.

The handle 13, which is a moulding of thermo-setting Synthetic resin, comprises a hand-grip 51 extending between front and rear pillars 52 and 53. The front pillar 52 is hollowed out to form a cavity `54 to receive the steam dome 24, and the Yrear pillar 53 has a cavity 55, closed by a removable cover plate 56 secured by a screw 56a, in which Vare mounted the binding posts for the conductors (not shown) by which the iron is connected to an electric supply system. One yend of the cranked strip 45 also extends into this cavity and is drilled and tapped to receive a screw 45a, for the connection thereto of a grounding Iwire (not shown). The front wall of the cavity 54 is formed with a circular aperture 57 which, when the handle is in position, lines up with the aperture in the steam dome 24, the aperture 57 being larger in diameter than the aperture 25. A sealing ring `58, preferably formed of an inorganic silicone elastomer such as that sold under the trade name Silastic, tits closely in the aperture 57, the ring 58 having a short, reduced, end portion 59 which enters the aperture 25. A metal plate 61 secured to the front face of the handle 13 has a circular aperture 62 co-axial with the apertures 2'5 and 57, the aperture 62 being of a larger diameter than the in- Iterior of the sealing ring 58, so that the said plate 61 presses on the peripheral part of the sealing ring and compresses it into tight engagement with the wall ofthe aperture 57 and the face of the steam dome wall around the aperture 25. The plate 61 is bent rearwardly and upwardly at its lower end, as shown at 63, to hookover the lower edge of the front wall of the cavity 54, and is secured by a screw 64 passing through holes in the plate 61 and pillar 52 into the screw-threaded hole 27 in the lug 26. This screw thus also serves to secure the front end of the handle 13 to the boiler 10, and the rear end of the handle is secured to the boiler by two screws 65 lsvzssing upwardly from the cavity 18 into the rear pillar On the upper end of the plate 61 there is provided a hinge mounting 66 for a hollow sheet metal cover member 67 in which is mounted a vertically extending channel-,shaped guide 68 for a slide bar 69 operable by means of a button 71 protruding from the top of the cover member 67. The `guide 68, as shown in FIGURE 8,'has the side portions of its base adjacent the side walls set back from the plane of its central portion at 72, 'and has tabs 73 on the edges of its side walls which extend over the channel to retain the slide bar 69 in position. The slide bar 69 has pips 74 engagaing the tabs 73 to the areas of the parts in contact and reduce frictiong The slide bar'69is slotted at 75, a corresponding slot 76 being formed in 'the base of the channel-shaped guide member, and a compression spring 77 is retained in the slots by fingers 78 and 79 onthe bar 69 and guide member 68 respectively, the spring urging the bar 69 to a Vpredetermined 'position relative to the guide member but allowing it to move bothupwardly and downwardly with respect thereto. A 4further slot 81 inthe lower" end of, the `guide member permits the passage therethrough of a hook 82 fixed tothe plate 61, the hook 82 when the cover member 67 is in theclosed position shownin FIG- 1 engages with the lower end of,V a slot- 83 in thev slide bar 69 tolatch the cover member, the slot 8.?)` taper* ingm'do Wardly so as to guide the lower end of theV cover meinberto aVV central position.

Ar closure member ycooperating with theY sealing ring; 584 carriedby the guide member 68,v and slide bar 69,

the closure member comprising'a disc.lglhavingaifrustoconical surface and mounted on a stem 85. lThe sten 85 has a hat head 86 at its end remote from the disc 84, and a coiled compression spring 87 is mounted between the disc 84 and a washer 88 having a diameter slightly greater than that of the head 8,61. A key-hole shaped slot 89 formed in the guide member 68 has its enlarged end of a diameter just suilicient for the passage of the head 86, and a cooperating slot 91 in the slide bar 69, having a width equal to the diameter of the head 86, is so positioned that, inthe normal position of the slide bar, as shown in FIGURES l and 4, its upper end is somewhat below the upper enlarged end of the slot 89. By pulling the slide bar 69 upwardly against the resistance of the spring 87, the upper ends of the slots can be brought into coincidence so that the head 86 can be passed through the slot 89, release of the slide bar 69 pushing the head 86 downwardly into the narrower part of the said slot, so that the closure member is trapped in the slot 89, but can slide vertically inthe said slot. When the cover member 67 is in the closed position the disc 84 seats in the sealing ring 58 as shown in FIGURE l, the .spring 87 being slightly compressed to ensure a fluidtight closure, the freedom of the closure member to slide vertically and to tilt slightly ensuring that it accommodates itself to the sealing ring.

The thermostat has a head 106 which is cylindrical at its lower portion, and non-circular, preferably hexagonal at its upper portion, the said head projecting through a hole 107 in the mating end walls of the recesses 18, y21 and through a hole 108 in the cranked plate 45. An operating arm 109 having a correspondingly shaped hole at one end is engaged with the non-circular part of the head 106 and is held in engagement with the said head by a coiled compression spring 11111 taking its abutment on the underside of the rear pillar 5'3` of the handle. A Vsealing ring 119 surrounds the lower portion of the head 106, and is pressed by the cranked strip 45 against the wall 22 of the recess 21 to seal the hole through which the head 106 passes.

YConductors 112 and 113 connected respectively to one end of the heating element v12 and the contact (not shown) of the thermostat extend upwardly through insulating bushes 114 and 1115 to the binding posts -in the cavity 55, the bushes 114 and 115 being preferably of ceramic material and having reduced portion at their lower ends which enter holes 116 in the mating end walls of the recesses 18, 21. Sealing rings 117 mounted against the shoulders in the bushes 114 and 115 seal the holes 116. The upper ends of the bushes enter recesses in the rear pillar V53 ofthe handle. The other terminal (not shown) of the thermostat is connected Yby la further conductor 118 to the other end of the heating element 12.

Sealing washers may be provided under the heads of vthe screws 44 and 65 which Vpass through holes in the mating end walls of the recesses V18, 21, to provide water tight joints around the said screws, or the'undersides of the said heads may be coated with aY sealing compound before being placed in position.

FIGURE "l0 Vvshows a modied arrangement oitheV closure for the aperture in the steam dome. Thesteam dome 24, .which may bein the form of a die-casting,` has an aperture 121v in its front wall, around which is formed an outwardly projecting. rim 122 chamfered'interna-llyat 123. The closure member 124, which is mounted inthe t same manner as that shown in FIGURE l, comprises a ring of sealingmaterialV such as Silastic clamped between the out-turned edges of two metal discs125, 1,26,Y

Hcontrol device is thus very quickly responsive to the heat generated 'by the heating element, and relatively `close control of the iron temperature lis ensured.V "The illus'- 'acaaase trated arrangement of the heating element provides that a substantial proportion of the heating element length is positioned towards the heel of the iron, where the greater part of the mass of the sole plate is concentrated, and the proportion of the length of the heating element in any transverse segment of the sole plate to the mass of the said segment is substantially equal to the said proportion in any other segment, so that even heat distribution in the sole plate is ensured without the necessity for varying the pitch of the wire coil in the heating element at different places along its length.

A pair of rubber studs, one of which is shown in FIG- URE l at 127, are secured to the rear end of the boiler by screws 128 entering bosses 129 welded to the interior of the boiler, and the iron can thus be conveniently supported on its heel end. The opening in the steam dome is then facing upwardly, and by unlatching and swinging back the cover member 67, the opening 25 is exposed and Water can be poured into it to lill the boiler 10. When suicient water has been poured in, the cover member 67 is closed and latched, thus pressing .the closure 84 against the sealing ring 58 to seal the opening 25. The closure 84, being free to slide vertically and to tilt slightly in a lateral direction, accommodates itself to the sealing ring 58 to ensure an efficient seal, the spring 87 being .to some extent compressed when the cover member 67 is closed, but is free to move back under excessive steam pressure and allow steam to escape. Steam generated in the iron passes from the steam dome 24 down the steam tube 28 into the chamber 35, from which it passes through the holes 49 on to the articles being ironed. The temperature at which the iron is maintained by the heating element is adjusted by movement of the operating arm 109 to adjust the position of the head 106.

As many changes could be made in the above consrtuction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. An electric steam -iron of the kind comprising a sole plate, a boiler fixed to the sole plate, a handle fixed to the boiler, an electric heating element arranged to apply heat to both the sole plate and the boiler, a steam dome, and means for filling the said boiler through the steam dome, wherein the steam dome extends upwardly into a cavity in the handle and is formed with a forwardly-facing opening, in the front face of said handle, a sheet metal cover member for the said front face, said cover member having a hinged mount transversely of said front face, a closure member for said forwardly-facing opening, mounted on the inner face of said cover member, and a spring releasably urging said closure member to closing position.

2. An electric steam iron as claimed in claim 1 in which the sheet metal cover extends substantially the height of the handle, coacting latch members are disposed near the lower end of the front face of said handle and the sheet metal cover respectively and actuating means for releasing said latch comprises a push button protruding from the upper portion of said sheet metal cover and slide means connects said push button to the latch means carried by the sheet metal cover.

3. The combination recited in claim 2 in which th latch comprises a latch hook protruding forwardly from the front face of the handle and the sheet metal cover member has a slide member therein actuated by said push button with an aperture therein constituting the complernentary latch member.

4. The combination recited in claim 2 in which the sheet metal cover member is concave for substantially the length thereof, has a channel shaped guide therein extending lengthwise thereof and a slide bar coacting with said guide operable by said button.

5. The electric steam iron as claimed in claim 4 in which the forwardly facing opening has a closure member, an axial stem protruding outwardly therefrom with a head in its outer end protruding through the slide bar.

6. The combination recited in claim 1 in which the sheet metal cover member for the handle is spaced at its lower end above the boiler.

7. An electric steam iron `according to claim 1, wherein the hinged member is hinged to the handle at its upper end and is held in the closed position by latch means at its lower end and said latch means comprises a hook carried by the handle a slide bar mounted in the hinged cover, the hook passing through a slot in said slide bar and engaging one end of the said slot.

8. An electric steam iron according to claim 4, Wherein the cover member includes a disc cooperating with a filling orifice, a stem carrying the disc, a head on the end of the stem remote from the disc, and a washer slidable on the stem and urged towards the head by a spring, the head and washer being at opposite sides of said guide for the slide bar and the stem passing through a slot in said guide so that the cover member is free to slide on the slide bar.

9. An electric steam iron according to claim 4, wherein the closure member has a stem which has a head, said stem passing through `a slot in the guide of keyhole shape, the enlarged end of said slot being wide enough for the passage of said head, a cooperating slot in the slide bar which receives the head being arranged to normally take up a position such that it prevents movement of the head into register with the enlargedY end of the keyhole slot. i

.10. An electric steam iron of the type comprising a sole plate, a boiler aixed to the sole plate, a handle aixed to the boiler, an electric heating element arranged to apply heat to both the sole plate and the boiler and a thermostat lfor controlling the circuit and mounted near the rear of the iron; the combination in which the electric heating element is substantially U-shaped with its bend at the toe end of the iron and the ends of said element are turned horizontally inward in substantially parallel relation at different distances from the rear end of the iron and near but at opposite sides of the thermostat.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,728,791 Forshee et al Sept. 17, 1929 2,106,936 Smith Feb. 1, 1938 2,279,215 Theilgaard Apr. 7, 1942 2,755,574 Herman July 24, 1956 2,781,593 Schreyer Feb. 19, 1957 2,793,449 Seck May 28, 1957 

